With the second financial quarter of 2017 having wrapped up on June 30, now is the time when we start to see some numbers. From SLM Solutions, to ExOne, to Materialise, it's financial roundup time! EOS and Sciaky provide some non-financial respite.

SLM Solutions sees revenue drop in first half of 2017 but makes gains with new order intake

Germany-based metal 3D printing specialist SLM Solutions has reported its financial results for the first half (H1) of 2017. The numbers are mixed.

According to the report, the company’s revenue was down 13.5% in the first half of 2017 compared to H1 2016 (to 29 million from 33.5 million euros). Despite this comparative dip in revenue, the company says its new order intake has grown 17.9% to 35.3 million euros from 30 million in 2016.

As the overall number of machines ordered dropped to 47 in H1 2017 (from 56 in H1 2016), the increase in order revenue shows a trend towards buying higher-performance and higher-value machines.

“Ad­di­tive man­u­fac­tur­ing is be­com­ing in­creas­ingly ac­cepted and has mean­while achieved strate­gic im­por­tance for major in­dus­trial com­pa­nies,” stated Uwe Böger­shausen, a member of SLM Solutions executive board. “We are ben­e­fit­ing from this trend and booked our largest in­di­vid­ual order in the com­pany's his­tory in June 2017. We con­tinue to ex­pe­ri­ence major in­ter­est in our sys­tems.”

“Par­tially due to some cus­tomers' wait-and-see at­ti­tude, the in­ter­est in our ma­chines can­not be trans­lated im­me­di­ately into de­liv­er­ies. We as­sume, how­ever, that this trend is tem­po­rary and as we did in the past we will con­tinue to focus on pro­mot­ing strate­gic part­ner­ships with our cus­tomers.”

The report also shows that the company’s adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) for the first half of 2017 equalled -4.5 million euros (compared to -1 million euros in H1 2016). The ad­justed EBITDA mar­gin in re­la­tion to con­sol­i­dated rev­enue was -15.6%.

Metal 3D printing company Sciaky, Inc., best known for its Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) technology, has announced it will be adopting Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software. The software solution will be used to support its EBAM technology and improve product development processes for its clients.

Sciaky will leverage two of Siemens’ software programs for its metal 3D printing solutions: its NX software, which is an integrated solution for CAD, CAM, and CAE; and NX Nastran software, a computer-aided engineering analysis (CAE) solver program.

"Siemens PLM Software is committed to creating partnerships that can add value to the business of our customers," commented Vynce Paradise, Director of Advanced Part Manufacturing for Siemens PLM Software. "We are pleased to work with Sciaky as they use the latest multi-axis deposition technology we have developed within NX software to support their EBAM 3D metal printing systems.”

Sciaky’s EBAM technology is recognized as being one of the most scalable metal 3D printing systems on the market. With a vaiable build volume of between 203 mm to 5.79 meters in length (8” to 19’), that is hardly surprising. The technology is also lauded for its printing speed, reaching just over 9 kg (20 lbs) of metal deposited per hour.

Sciaky, Inc. is a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries, Inc. (PSI).

The ExOne Company, a supplier of 3D printing systems and services based in North Huntington, PA, recently released its financial results for the second quarter of 2017. The period, which ended on June 30, saw some generally positive results.

According to Jim McCarley, CEO of ExOne, the second quarter saw revenues of $10.8 million while the first half of 2017 showed a 22% increase in machine revenue over the same period in 2016. Though the $10.8 million in revenue was reportedly impacted by timing ($2.8 million more in revenue will be carried over to the third quarter by one day), McCarley says the company is “on track to achieve full year consolidated revenue growth in the range of 20% to 25%.”

“Our operating results for the quarter include investments we are making in our technology, people, and processes to continue the advancement of binder jet technology in the marketplace,” he explained. “Based on our continuing progress, we expect these efforts will significantly improve our future financial performance. We remain confident in our strategic direction and in our pipeline of projects with both new and repeat customers.”

The financial release also indicated that ExOne’s backlog grew to $26.3 million. “Our guidance is based on our backlog and anticipated growth in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter,” added McCarley.

Over the next financial period, ExOne is expecting its sales of the Exerial beta machine to negatively impact its earnings, especially as it continues to invest in research and development. Despite these predicted “unfavorable” results for the third quarter, the company says the costs “will prove to be good investments” and that it is on the right track to achieving a positive EBITDA by the end of the year.

McCarley added that the company expects a total cash balance of more than $20 million by the end of 2017.

3D printing company Materialise releases Q2 financial results

With the close of the second financial quarter on June 30th, ExOne is not the only 3D printing company to be releasing its financial results, as Belgium-based Materialise has also just reported its numbers.

According to the 3D printing company, its total revenue increased by 21.8% from the second quarter of 2016 (the equivalent of 33,612 kEUR), and it saw significant increases in all three of its business segments: Materialise Manufacturing, Materialise Software, and Materialise Medical.

Of the three, Materialise Manufacturing saw the biggest growth with a revenue increase of 32.5%. Its software segment, for its part, increased by 19% and Medical saw a growth of 10%.

The financial results also show that the company’s adjusted EBITDA increased by 164% from the second quarter of 2016 to 2,732 kEUR.

“Despite start-up activities associated with the opening of our new manufacturing facilities in Leuven and Poland, our Adjusted EBITDA margin more than doubled,” commented Peter Leys, Materialise’ Executive Chairman. “We look forward to completing the facilities’ start-up process during the third quarter and to gradually realizing scale effects and efficiency gains thereafter.”

In terms of spending, the second quarter of 2017 saw increased expenses in research and development (R&D), sales and marketing (S&M), and general and administration (G&A). All together, the three saw an increase of 9% from the second quarter of 2016 to 20,911 kEUR.

“At June 30, 2017, we had cash and equivalents of 53,832 kEUR compared to 55,912 kEUR at December 31, 2016. Cash flow from operating activities in the first six months of 2017 was 5,188 kEUR compared to 5,781 kEUR for the same period in 2016, mainly due to working capital evolution,” reads the company’s release.

Industrial 3D printing company EOS has announced the expansion of its Academia program. The development will see it promoting powder-based additive manufacturing through universities and research institutes that it partners with.

Participating academic institutions will be given access to a number of beneficial things, including regular updates from the 3D printing world, sample applications, white papers, and various academia-geared activities.

In order to qualify for EOS’ newly expanded program, organizations and academic institutions must be recognized as such, and must commit to using EOS’ 3D printing systems for educational courses (at least 50%). In line with this, participating partners must not use the technology for commercial production.

As part of its new program, EOS will be offering three new modules: the Freshman module, Graduate module, and Scientist module. The Freshman module, as you may have guessed, is a beginner program aimed at teaching the basics of 3D printing through the integration of the technology into courses. For this module, EOS will supply its Sintratec Kit, which consists of the basic equipment for powder-based printing.

The Graduate module, for its part, is geared more towards practical teaching and research. For this module, institutions will be provided with a Sintratec S1 laser sintering system, as well as a training course through which users can receive an EOS Academia Certificate. The aim with this module is to seamlessly bring students into the 3D printing world.

The final module, Scientist, is the most advanced, as it offers institutions access to industrial 3D printing for research and educational purposes. Aimed at providing intensive training for 3D printing, the Scientist module consists of both metal and polymer EOS 3D printing systems as well as a multi-day training course at EOS.

Dr. Adrian Keppler, CEO and Speaker of the Corporate Management at EOS GmbH, commented: “As a technology and market leader, it is essential for us to prepare the scientists and students of today for the professional requirements of tomorrow. For this reason, with our Academia programme we are specifically promoting universities and research institutions by providing them with the best possible and state-of-the-art equipment.”

EOS is already partnered with various universities around the globe, supplying its equipment at reasonable costs to the Technical University of Munich, the University of Wolverhampton in the UK, the California Polytechnic State Univerisity, and the Incheon PolyTech in Seoul, South Korea.